


What If: Elsa's second chance at growing up with Anna

by barbara_princess_of_delphi



Series: Unique and Unusual Frozen Prompts/Headcanons: The Collection (non-AU) [4]
Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-08-18
Packaged: 2018-02-13 16:03:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2156670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barbara_princess_of_delphi/pseuds/barbara_princess_of_delphi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by an anonymous ask on the elsannaheadcanons blog about Elsa being reverted to her 8-year-old self.</p><p>Does she revert to before the accident or after the accident?</p><p>Well, as it turns out, neither is a good thing. And love isn't always the solution.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What If: Elsa's second chance at growing up with Anna

What If:

Version 2 - Elsa, age 21, stuck in her 8-year-old body

_Some magic spell transports Elsa's 21-year-old consciousness back in time to her 8-year-old self on the morning of the accident. Realizing she has a chance to change history, she aims her final ice blast lower and avoids hurting 5-year-old Anna. Unfortunately, the altered timeline is ultimately worse than the original - Kristoff never gets adopted by the trolls, the public revolts against Elsa's "sorcery" and Anna gets killed/kidnapped, various other bad things happen due to butterfly effect, etc - and finally Elsa realizes the original timeline was better and escapes to the trolls in her 12-year-old body to get the timeline fixed._

_OR_

_Some magic spell transports 21-year-old Elsa back in time to 8 years old the day *after* the accident, and she's been isolated in her room. But this time she knows love is the secret and gains full control of her ice within a few days, allowing her to see Anna again. She's supposed to still hide her powers from Anna and the rest of the world, though eventually Anna realizes Elsa's body temperature is always cold and her parents allow Elsa to let Anna back in on the secret (which is otherwise known only to Elsa's parents, Kai, Gerda, and a select few other servants)._

_Then comes the invitation to Rapunzel and Eugene's wedding in Corona - the very event that Elsa's parents originally died en route to. Elsa begs her parents not to go, but can't persuade them, so she asks to go with them in hopes of saving them from the storm. Anna comes too, of course. As the storm waves threaten to capsize them, Elsa creates a giant ice sheet below the ship - they are still unable to save the ship and are ultimately stuck on the floating ice, but all the crew are saved._

_Unfortunately, Elsa's powers are now revealed, since they have no choice but to proceed on to Corona in a ship made of ice, the original one having broken to pieces in the storm. Arendelle's enemies promptly exploit the "sorcery" revelations and the royal family's absence, and suddenly there are plots and intrigues sprouting all over, including assassins sent to keep Elsa's family from returning. An alliance of ultra-conservative kingdoms forms to keep Elsa from inheriting the throne at any cost and Elsa's father is threatened with war. He is willing to fight for his daughter's rights, but she cannot bear to have so much destruction caused in her name. Elsa agrees to be exiled from Arendelle to prevent a huge regional war. But Anna cannot go with her now, for she must now rule the kingdom. Kristoff is nowhere to be found; Anna will be forced to marry someone who is not so accepting of her romantic relationship with Elsa._

_Elsa finds that she managed to save her parents' lives and Anna's childhood… at the cost of Anna's future happiness with her._

_This thought makes Elsa hesitate to go through with her exile. She weighs her head against her heart; thousands of lives against Anna's feelings; she cannot live with herself either way._

_But she knows of a third way, one that is guaranteed to secure both in the end. In this alternate timeline, Elsa alone knows of the original timeline from which she came. And that is where she must go._

_OR_

_After the dramatic coronation fuss, things have finally settled down in Arendelle and Elsa is getting used to being Queen as she was raised to be… until one morning she wakes up child-sized and shrieks upon seeing her 8-year-old appearance in the mirror. Anna, the servants, and the councilors proceed to have a field day with their suddenly much cuter Queen, and are only brought back into line upon finding their feet frozen to the ground. Unfortunately, there's a more serious problem: a foreign delegation is scheduled to visit and it is absolutely crucial for diplomacy to have the dignitaries see Queen Elsa..._


End file.
